New Amazon Kindle starts at $139 in time for back to school

Amazon has just released a new Kindle that starts at $139, which is $10 less than the competing Barnes and Noble Nook. The new Amazon Kindle comes in two models; the Kindle WiFi for $139 and the Kindle 3G for $189. Both models are available to pre-order and will be released on August 27th just in time for the start of school.

The new Kindle, known simply as Kindle, doesn't just bring a lower price; it is also 21% smaller, 15% lighter and offers faster page turns and better contrast on a six -inch screen. The Kindle still uses E Ink technology like that found in previous models but offers double the storage (4GB) and a claimed battery life of 10 days with wireless on and a month without it.

In addition to the smaller frame and screen improvements, the new Kindle sports a revamped keyboard and directional pad and according to Engadget, a build quality that was, "slightly more polished than the previous version." The new Kindle also comes with an experimental web browser that allows you to browse the text portions of websites for free.

Alongside the new Kindle, Amazon is releasing a Kindle case with a built in light that runs off the Kindle's battery so that you can read at night without bothering a roommate.

The Kindle comes with access to the Amazon e-bookstore. The store contains more than half a million books for $9.99 or less and 1.8 million free, out=of=copyright books, which students may find tucked into their syllabi come fall. The Kindle also offers access to certain textbooks as well as newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Users can also upload their own pdf files to the device to handle reading assignments posted to course websites.

The cheaper Kindle is part of Amazon's quest to rule the e-Book industry and offers one of the cheapest name brand e-readers, barely beating out the Nook and coming in $350 cheaper than the Apple iPad. This price cut comes just a month after Amazon reduced the price of the Kindle to $189.

Still, users don't need a Kindle to take advantage of the low prices on Amazon Kindle books. Kindle apps are available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android devices, BlackBerry devices as well as Windows and Mac computers. All of these apps will sync your place in the book to your other devices, just as if you were using a Kindle.